River at Bellaire

Plein air pastel painting of a winding, colorful river in Bellaire, Michigan

Pastel painting 8 inches x 11 inches

The last of my pastel landscapes from Northern Michigan. I stopped in Bellaire, at an old dam site, and saw this beautiful river scene. Like many other plein air pastel painters I’m a sucker for dramatic water views. But they can be somewhat difficult to capture on paper. The light and shadows on the water are constantly changing and creating interesting areas to paint. I find that if I stare at the scene for a bit and solidify in my mind what really attracted me to the view, I have a better chance of succeeding. In this case, the striations of color rippling through the water really stood out for me…

The Ann Arbor Women Artists have a wonderful exhibit showing now at the Riverside Arts Center in Ypsilanti, Michigan. I was honored to have 2 pieces accepted. The artist reception is July 9th from 7-9pm. Please stop by if you can!